


Christmas at Spencer's

by orphan_account



Series: Brallencer Coffeeshop AU [2]
Category: Bandom, Panic! at the Disco
Genre: (but still somewhat new), Christmas Fluff, Established Relationship, Last Minute Christmas Shopping, M/M, Meeting the Parents, Polyamory, Starbucks, author has no idea how Las Vegas works, author is trying his best, meeting the best friend
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-06
Updated: 2016-10-18
Packaged: 2018-08-19 23:16:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8228107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: (takes place a few months after the events of Take Two to Go)Brendon, Dallon, and Spencer spend Christmas with Spencer's family (and Ryan Ross, who might as well be family), and Brendon realises that meeting the parents is a lot more terrifying than he expected, even when the parents are cool with their son being gay and dating two people at once.





	1. Christmas Eve Eve

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, I'm starting to post a Christmas fic in October. Yes, I have four (?) other WIPs I could be working on. But here it is, because I love this coffeeshop AU that turned into more of a Brallencer-with-vague-connections-to-a-coffeeshop AU, but hey. It's fluff. Knowing me, it'll probably take me until Christmas to finish it. 
> 
> You should probably read Take Two to Go before reading this, by the way. It gives this fic some context.

“I’m going to murder your entire family!” Spencer yelled at the car in front of them. The car had just cut in front of Spencer and proceeded to slow down to about forty miles and hour. Dallon, who was stretched out in the backseat of the truck and immune to Spencer’s constant road frustration, was laughing. Brendon looked back down at his phone. There were still thirty more minutes before they were supposed to arrive at Spencer’s parents house for Christmas. Brendon was going to throw up from nerves and then die.

 

“Oh my God, my sisters drive better than you and they’re literally fifteen,” Spencer said, but he didn’t get any closer to the car in front of them. He did, however, flash the brights at the car in front of them in an attempt to let them know that they didn’t belong in the left lane. This did not deter the car, and instead they seemed to go even slower, and Spencer looked more willing to get up close and personal with their bumper.

 

“Just go around them,” Brendon said. Spencer made a finger gun at Brendon and then did what Brendon had suggested, hitting the gas and speeding past the minivan. Dallon’s truck, despite looking like it was about to fall apart, was surprisingly sturdy. It was also really loud.

 

“Right, so, now that we’re no longer stuck behind a literal grandmother,” Spencer said, “how much longer until we get to my parents house?”

 

“Fifteen minutes,” Brendon said. Dallon leaned between the seats and locked Brendon’s phone before kissing the side of his head and telling him that he didn’t need to keep the navigation up for the whole trip. Brendon didn’t mention that knowing how far away they were from the Smith’s was part of the reason he wasn’t freaking out yet. Sure, Spencer’s parents were accepting of Spencer’s sexuality, and they already knew Dallon, but surely they’d be a little concerned that Spencer was dating two guys at the same time.

 

Brendon ended up texting with Sarah for the rest of the ride, and singing along to the radio whenever something familiar came on. They got there right when Brendon’s phone said that they would, and pulled into the driveway. Spencer leaned across the seat and kissed Brendon, and then Dallon. “Stay here for a second, and let me go make sure they’re still awake.”

 

“Sure thing,” Dallon said, reaching out an placing a hand on Brendon’s shoulder. Spencer left the truck, closing the door behind him, and Brendon leaned into Dallon’s touch. Dallon kissed Brendon’s jaw. “If it makes you feel any better, I’m nervous too, and Spencer’s probably just as nervous as the both of us. His parents are pretty cool, though, so we should be fine.”

 

“I’ve never met the parents of anyone I’ve dated before,” Brendon confessed, his voice barely above a whisper. Dallon kissed him again, holding him close over the seat. They sat like that until Spencer came back and said that his parents and his twin sisters were still awake, and that his best friend since childhood was flying in tomorrow, which no one had told him about. Brendon and Dallon exchanged a look, and Dallon asked, “who’s the friend?”

 

“Ryan?” Spencer said. The three headed around to the bed of the truck and pulled their suitcases out. Spencer locked up the truck and tossed Dallon the keys, since the truck was technically his. “I’ve mentioned him before. He moved to Seattle after high school to get involved in design shit. I haven’t seen him in forever, though, but we’ve known each other since… fuck. Since I was like, five or something.”

 

“That’s impressive,” Brendon said. He didn’t think there was anyone from his hometown area who would even remember his name, let alone call themselves his friend.

 

“Yeah,” Spencer said. He knocked on the door and his mom--presumably--opened it, letting the three of them in. Spencer grinned at his mom. “Hey again, mom. I was just telling Dal and Brendon about Ryan.”

 

“Did he tell you he’s planning to go to New York next semester?” Spencer’s mom asked, holding the door open for the three of them. “Oh, and since the guest room has a bigger bed I'm putting you and your partners there. Ryan’ll be in your old room.”

 

“Mom, I still have embarrassing shit in there,” Spencer said. His mom shook her head. “Ryan has seen all of your embarrassing moments first hand, honey. It's not like he's going to find anything new.”

 

“He might,” Spencer grumbled, but he led Brendon and Dallon through the house anyway. Spencer's dad poked his head around the living room door and said hey, and Spencer's sisters just stared at Brendon suspiciously as he passed. Brendon elbowed Dallon and hissed in his ear, “did they look at you like you were the worst person ever when you first came down here?”

 

“No, because I'm really tall and good with children.” Dallon smiled down at Brendon. He looked ready to go to bed already. “Also, they were thirteen then and didn't immediately know that I was dating their older brother. They just thought I was Spencer's friend until he sat them down and explained everything.”

 

Spencer tossed his duffel into the closet. “They both thought I'd been dating Ryan, actually, and Jackie was weirdly relieved that I wasn't. I'm pretty sure she has a crush on him, which is terrifying enough for me.”

 

“That's adorable.” Brendon said. Dallon raised an eyebrow at him, closing the bedroom door and swathing the three of them in semi darkness. Brendon dropped his bag onto the bed and pulled his shirt over his head before opening his bag and digging out his pajamas. He usually slept naked, but he figured that Spencer’s family would appreciate it if he was wearing pants at the minimum. Once he’d changed--in front of Dallon and Spencer because they’d all been dating long enough that there were no more boundaries--he moved his duffel from the bed and climbed in with his boyfriends.

 

Spencer got the middle, since it was technically his house. Brendon curled back against Spencer, with Spencer’s arm draped over his waist and Dallon’s hand on his hip. It was a good feeling, and the Smith’s had a comfortable guest bed. Brendon closed his eyes and let Dallon’s soft snoring lull him to sleep.

 

He was almost asleep when he felt Spencer pull him closer and bury his face into Brendon’s shoulder. Brendon opened his eyes and turned on his back so that he could see Spencer in the moonlight filtering through the curtains. “You okay?”

 

“Just nervous.” Spencer said, kissing Brendon’s nose. “I didn’t know Ryan was going to be here. I’m still close with him, but… shit, he’s like my older, weirder brother in a way. What if he doesn’t like you guys? What if you two don’t like him?”

 

“As long as he’s not a dick, I’m sure we’ll be fine.” Brendon said. Spencer let out a sigh. “I hope so.”

 

* * *

 

Brendon woke up to the lights being turned on and someone announcing that Ryan was here. For a moment, Brendon didn’t know where he was or who Ryan was (or why his arrival mattered), but then he remembered getting to Spencer’s parents house at around midnight the night before and learning that Spencer’s childhood best friend was coming home for Christmas.

 

The person in the door was a girl of about fifteen, with brown hair in a ponytail and a devious grin on her face. She was confirmed as Spencer’s younger sister and not some random teenager when Spencer lifted his hand from the sheets to flip her off and to tell Ryan to come back later.

 

“I’m already unpacked, you fuck.” Another voice called out, loudly and from the hall. It was followed by a, “Ryan, watch your language!” and a muttered, “sorry Ginger,” which Brendon assumed was Spencer’s friend Ryan getting chastised by Spencer’s mom. Brendon didn’t bother sitting up, because Dallon was doing that already, his hair in his eyes and his shirt rumpled. Spencer was still mostly face down in the mattress. Spencer was not a morning person.

 

Dallon looked down at Brendon, who was obviously awake but just laid down and spooning Spencer for fun, and then at the girl in the doorway, who was now jutting her hip out the same way Spencer did whenever he wanted Dallon or Brendon to hurry the fuck up. Dallon ran a hand through his hair, not really fixing it. “So, um, should we get out of bed?”

 

“Is your new boyfriend naked?” She asked. Spencer made a noise that would probably be an expletive if his voice was discernable. Brendon patted Spencer’s shoulder. “I’m wearing pants, don’t worry.”

 

“You don’t have to, you’re cute.” She said. “I’m Crystal, by the way. Jackie’s the one who’s trying to marry Ryan, which is weird because Ryan’s probably gay. I mean, he’s going to fashion school, he has to be gay.”

 

“That’s a stereotype, buddy,” Dallon said, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. Crystal shrugged. “Sorry. But he’s also talking about some guy named Jon, and I’m pretty sure they’re dating.”

 

Spencer lifted his head, pushing his hair away from this face. “Ryan’s not dating anyone. He’s still posting emo poetry on his blog.”

 

“You’re awake!” Crystal exclaimed, jumping up. She grinned and called out that Spencer was awake, and then fled the room before Spencer could do anything to retaliate. Spencer turned over onto his back and stared up at the ceiling, before letting out a sigh and suggesting that they all get out of bed and go meet Ryan. Brendon grabbed a shirt before following his boyfriends out of the room, figuring that Spencer’s parents would appreciate not seeing a half naked Brendon before they even got to know him. Also, he had a giant hickey on his hip in the shape of a bitemark, where Dallon had bit him two nights before. Brendon was still a little sore from that, and he was pretty sure he had some bruises on his chest from that night.

 

Spencer and Dallon had done their best not to leave any visible marks, since they’d be going to Spencer’s parents house and there were some things that they didn’t need to know about Brendon, Spencer, and Dallon’s relationship.

 

Spencer’s mom and his two sisters were at the kitchen table when Brendon entered the kitchen. Dallon was standing in the doorway with a cup of coffee in his hand, which he handed over to Brendon. Brendon kissed Dallon before taking the cup and taking a sip to make sure that Dallon had gotten it right. He had. Brendon leaned against his boyfriend. “So, where’d Spencer go?”

 

“He’s helping Dad make breakfast,” Crystal said. The other twin--Jackie, if Brendon remembered correctly--was sitting on the edge of her chair, peering around the door and up the stairs, like she was waiting for someone to come down. Brendon figured it was this Ryan guy he had yet to meet.

 

“What do you guys even eat for Christmas Eve breakfast?” Brendon asked. “Or is it just a normal breakfast?”

 

“The last I heard, it was going to be vegetarian omelets, and then some sausage links for those of us who aren’t vegetarian.” Spencer’s mom said. She pointed to the empty chairs to her left. “You two can sit down, you know. We only make Spencer’s bad boyfriends stand in the doorway.”

 

“Mom, stop scaring Brendon,” Spencer said from the kitchen. Brendon laughed and took another sip of coffee, not leaving Dallon’s side. He was usually good with strangers, a result of being a lonely, desperate kid in high school and working various retail jobs for the past four years of his life. Right now, though, he wasn’t willing to leave Dallon if it meant interacting with Spencer’s family more than he had too. He was nervous that they wouldn’t like him, or that they’d think he was too bouncy or didn’t have enough goals for his future. Brendon didn’t have any real goals, other than finish college, stay with Dallon and Spencer for as long as they’d have him, and maybe get a job that paid more than being a shift manager at Starbucks.

 

“Alright, everything’s ready,” Spencer’s dad said. Brendon turned his head towards the kitchen in time to see Spencer turn and wink at him. His dad elbowed him in the arm. “Stop making faces at your boyfriend and go get Ryan. Tell him that if he tries to hide from us we’ll keep his presents from him and then mail them to his apartment in the middle of February, just to piss him off.”

 

“Fine,” Spencer said, and winked at Brendon again before striding through the dining room and up the stairs. Spencer’s dad came in with plates of really good looking omelets and sat them down at the empty seats. He turned to Dallon and Brendon and stared them down. For a moment, Brendon was afraid that he didn’t like Spencer dating two guys, or Spencer dating guys in general, and was going to be an ass. Instead, he gestured at the chairs and said, “Dallon, stop holding your boyfriend hostage and sit down already. You’re making me nervous.”

 

“He’s more nervous,” Dallon said--the traitor--and kissed the top of Brendon’s head. “Come on, babe, don’t be so shy.”

 

“I’m trying,” Brendon said, and wriggled out of Dallon’s arms just to spite him. He sat down in the middle chair, assuming that Dallon and Spencer would just have to sit on either side of him and brace him from Spencer’s family. Dallon was on board with this plan and sat down beside Brendon, one hand on his thigh, rubbing it gently. A few moments later, Spencer and a guy dressed in a corduroy vest and a larger than necessary plaid scarf came in, and the vest guy sat down on the other side of Brendon. Spencer rolled his eyes and sat in the empty seat next to Jackie. He pulled off the gloves he was wearing (when the fuck did he get that? Brendon thought) and tossed them across the table.

 

“Spencer, don’t throw Ryan’s clothes across the breakfast table.” Spencer’s mom said. Spencer put his hands up. “He made me wear them!”

 

“You look like a homeless person,” Ryan said, putting his gloves back on, wiggling his fingers to get the fit right. He turned to Brendon. “Which boyfriend are you?”

 

“What.” Brendon wasn’t the most eloquent in the morning, apparently.

 

“That’s Brendon, and then Dallon,” Spencer’s mom said. At least someone at this table wasn’t trying to make Brendon’s life more confusing than it needed to be. Ryan nodded. “So, does Spencer boss you guys around all the time, or is that just a friend thing?”

 

“Ryan, shut the fu--” Spencer trailed off under the glares of both of his parents. Crystal started laughing, and Spencer sunk down in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest before reaching out with one hand and poking his omelet. “I liked it better when I was at school.”

 

“You shouldn’t be swearing, even when the girls aren’t around,” Spencer’s mom said, and took a bite of her omelet. “These are great, honey,” she said, and then turned back to Spencer, “but I’m serious. It’s a bad habit, and it’ll get you in trouble in the adult world at some point.”

 

“Ryan swears,” Spencer said, pointing his fork at Ryan, who was smugly drinking from his coffee. Dallon and Spencer’s sisters were the only ones without coffee, and they all had juice instead. Brendon was surprised that Dallon wasn’t drinking Dr. Pepper, because that was what he usually had with breakfast at home, but maybe Spencer’s parents just didn’t buy Dr. Pepper and Dallon had to survive without it while he was at the Smiths’ house.

 

“Ryan's not our son,” Spencer's mom said. Spencer shrugged and sat back up. For a while, they all are in silence, but Brendon knew it wasn't going to last. He had four older siblings, all of whom had brought a significant other home to meet Brendon's parents and get subjected to all of the mildly invasive questions. The whole concept of meeting the parents was part of the reason why Brendon had never dated anyone before Spencer and Dallon. The other reason was the whole bisexuality thing and not wanting to come out to his parents, ever.

 

Crystal was the first one to ask anything. She leaned forward, hands folded and elbows on the table, and asked, “so, how'd you three meet?”

 

“Spencer and I flirted for a few months while I was working and then we eventually went on a date.” Brendon said. The three of them had a version of their relationship that didn't involve Brendon and Dallon hooking up and having kinky sex in various places. “And Dallon and I met on a dating app. The two of them had the whole thing planned from the beginning.”

 

“Was it Tinder?” Jackie asked. Ryan choked on his coffee trying not to laugh. Brendon could physically feel Spencer wanting to flip Ryan off. Instead of doing that, though, Spencer said, “it wasn't Tinder, Jackie. How do you even know about Tinder?”

 

“Yeah, Jackie, how do you know about Tinder?” Crystal said in a teasing voice. Jackie rolled her eyes at her sister. “I'm not a complete idiot. I've been on the internet.”

 

“It wasn’t over Tinder,” Dallon said, tightening his grip on Brendon’s leg. It was totally over Tinder, although Brendon and Dallon had deleted their profiles after they became a poly couple. “It was just a dating app. And it worked out in the end, for all three of us.”

 

“Well I’m glad the three of you are making it work,” Spencer’s mom said. She took a sip of her coffee. “Brendon, what did you say you were doing in college again?”

 

“I’m double majoring in music theory and linguistics.” Brendon said. It was, at this point, a fancy way of saying that he was getting a cool degree and a permanent job as manager of Starbucks when he graduated college. He didn’t mind it, because Starbucks was cool and now he had a bunch of music credits under his belt, but he had no way of paying for a masters degree and there wouldn’t be anyone who would hire him without one. So was the way of college students.

 

“Oh, that’s great,” Spencer’s mom said, and unlike most middle aged people who found out about Brendon’s majors, she sounded genuine. “Ryan used to be a linguistics major.”

 

“Wait, so you actually switched over to design?” Spencer asked, perking up. There was a small smirk on his face, like there was an inside joke between Spencer and Ryan that Brendon wasn’t going to get. Beside him, Ryan rolled his eyes. “Yes, Spencer, I’m going into design. Just because you hate my fashion choices doesn’t mean that the rest of the world does.”

 

“Was this Jon’s idea?” Spencer asked. Brendon had no idea who Jon was. When he looked over at Dallon, Dallon shrugged. So there was a lot going on here that Brendon and Dallon didn’t get, but at least they could be confused together. Brendon leaned into Dallon a little, so that he could watch everything from a better angle. He was just glad that the attention seemed to be off of him for a moment.

 

Ryan rolled his eyes, but Brendon could see that he was going red in the face. “Jon convinced me to go through with it. He knows some people in New York, and he was looking at a studio apartment over there anyway. It’s just more convenient, you know, if we’re in the same place. He’s practically my photographer now, even though I’m just a student and not an actual designer.”

 

“Dude, I didn’t say shit about you two getting an apartment together,” Spencer leaned over the table. His mom gave him a look. “Spencer, watch your language in front of the girls.”

 

“Mom, we’re not babies,” Jackie said, crossing her arms over her chest.

 

“I know, honey,” Spencer’s mom said, and then turned to Ryan, who looked like he was waiting for a chance to flee the room. “That’s exciting, moving in with your photographer friend. I’m guessing he’s spending the holidays with his family, and that’s why he’s not here?”

 

“He’s not here because we’re not dating,” Ryan said, directing his response more at Spencer than at Spencer’s mom. Spencer just managed to look even more smug. Ryan leaned away from everyone else. “We’re not, I swear. I’m not even into guys.”

 

“You should try it, Ryan,” Brendon said, despite himself and despite not knowing anything about the situation. Dallon looked at him with one eyebrow raised, and Brendon just grinned up at him. He figured that, if he was ever going to get past the awkward phase of getting to know Spencer’s family, he would just have to act like he’d already gotten used to them. Brendon was pretty good at that.

 

“Hey, if Ryan’s gay, does that mean that you guys will have two gay sons?” Crystal asked. Spencer rolled his eyes. “I’m not gay, Crystal, I’m bi. There’s a difference.”

 

“I know, and Ryan’s probably not gay-gay either--”

 

“Ryan would like to remind everyone that he’s still in the fucking room,” Ryan said. Spencer’s mom immediately turned on him, her expression mirroring Spencer’s whenever someone did something stupid in his presence. Ryan pulled at a stray thread on his glove. “Sorry, Ginger.”

 

“Mind your language,” she said, and then turned her gaze on her own children. “And Spencer, Crystal, don’t talk about people like they’re not in the room.”

 

“Yes, mom,” the two said in creepy unison that only siblings could pull off. Spencer's mom nodded, satisfied, and the rest of breakfast went by smoothly, with no mention of the mysterious Jon from Seattle or any more intrusive questions about how Brendon, Dallon, and Spencer came to be.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brendon, Spencer, Dallon, and Ryan get some last minute Christmas supplies and Brendon meets the extended family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is entirely fluff, what the hell. Not that fluff's a bad thing, I'm just not used to writing fic that's 100% fluffy stuff. Hopefully it's not too much.

By the end of breakfast, Dallon and Brendon had been roped into a last minute Christmas run with Spencer and Ryan. Spencer tried to get out of it, saying he needed to help his dad make all of the Christmas food, but his mom wouldn’t let him. 

 

The four of them headed out in the Smith’s minivan, which had remnants of high school sports gear scattered throughout. Spencer drove, with Ryan calling shotgun and Dallon and Brendon in the back seats. They drove out to the nearest strip mall, where there were a bunch of smaller stores and one large Target. 

 

Spencer pulled into a spot in front of a Starbucks, and he and Ryan turned to look at each other. They grinned, and in unison said, “Christmas coffee, fuck yeah!” before jumping out of the car and running into the Starbucks. Brendon looked over at Dallon, who shrugged, and then they followed their boyfriend and his best friend towards the entrance. Spencer locked the car while holding the door open, and kissed both Brendon and Dallon as they entered. Dallon looped his arm around Brendon’s waist. “I don’t think I’ll be getting anything. I’m not a coffee guy.”

 

“Wait in line with me, please?” Brendon said, looking up at Dallon with his best puppy dog eyes. Dallon rolled his eyes and kissed Brendon on the forehead. The two got in line behind Spencer and Ryan. Spencer turned around and said to them both, “you don’t have to get anything. Me and Ryan do this every year, because our--my--parents make us do the last minute shopping and they can’t stop us from getting whatever we want on the side.”

 

“You’re acting like we’re still in high school, dude,” Ryan said. Spencer rolled his eyes and elbowed Ryan in the side. “At least I don’t still order the same thing I did in high school.”

 

“That’s because you’re a boring adult,” Ryan said. “Also, you never had to prove yourself as the alpha by making the underclassmen get you the most complicated drink order. I had to learn to be a bitch. You had to learn how to drink coffee that tastes like literal ass.”

 

“My coffee does not taste like ass,” Spencer said, and he looked almost offended. Ryan raised an eyebrow at him and moved forward in line. They were almost up to the counter. Spencer ordered his usual, and Brendon found him mouthing along to the cashier’s response. Ryan ordered something venti, with way to many extras, and Brendon was glad that he’d ended up at the same university as Spencer and not Ryan, because people who ordered complicated drinks were often assholes and Brendon would have never given Ryan a chance to be anything but a pretentious dick if he’d come through Brendon’s line and rattled off a novel’s worth of drink instructions. 

 

“Brendon, are you getting anything?” Ryan asked, twirling a credit card around in his hand. Brendon stared at the card, and then at Ryan. “I can… I can get my own. On my own card. It’s fine.”

 

“Dude, it’s Christmas Eve and I don’t know you well enough to get you a present,” Ryan said. “Get whatever you want.”

 

“Um.” Brendon stepped forward. Dallon had, at some point, abandoned him to go stand at the other end of the counter with Spencer. Brendon shot Dallon a glare, only to get a wink back. Brendon turned to the cashier, who was looking a little frazzled the longer the line got behind Brendon and Ryan, and ordered himself a venti peppermint mocha. It was Christmas Eve, and peppermint mochas were the most festive drink. The cashier thanked Brendon, and Ryan leaned over him to swipe his card and then move Brendon away from the cash register before the cashier could even wish them a good day. Once they were back over with Spencer and Dallon, Ryan pulled out his phone and started texting. 

 

Brendon looked at Spencer, confused. Spencer shrugged. “He’s weird sometimes, with people. It gets mistaken as assholery a lot, but he’s really just an awkward nerd.”

 

“I can hear you,” Ryan said. “Also your mom wants to know if we’re doing that midnight service thing this year. The one at the church, with like the candles and shit.”

 

“Ryan, you don’t have to act all stuffy and nonchalant about shit just because my boyfriends are here. They’re not scared of you,” Spencer said. Brendon considered disagreeing, saying that he was a little scared of Ryan just because Ryan was Spencer’s best friend and therefore was probably going to be overprotective of him. He didn’t say anything, because Dallon wasn’t saying anything, even though Dallon hadn’t met Ryan before and didn’t know Ryan any better than Brendon. 

 

“I’m not stuffy I just want my coffee,” Ryan said. 

 

“You’ll get it, Jesus Christ,” Spencer said, rolling his eyes. He looked over to Brendon, and raised an eyebrow. Brendon wasn’t super far away from his boyfriends, but he wasn’t making any contact with them, and Spencer noticed. He motioned for Brendon to come over. “Brendon, come over here.”

 

Brendon moved over, tucking himself against Spencer without even thinking about it. Ryan shot Spencer a look, and Spencer shot him one right back. Spencer placed his hand on the back of Brendon's neck, massaging gently. Brendon stopped himself from closing his eyes and leaning into the touch. They were in public, and that would be weird. 

 

When their drinks came up, Dallon grabbed Spencer’s and Brendon’s, and Ryan got his own. Ryan blew at the top of his drink, despite there being a lid on it. “So, Spencer, what do we have left to get?”

 

“Just some food stuffs, and then whatever you inevitably forgot to get for my family,” Spencer said. He slid a hand into Brendon’s back pocket, tucking Brendon under his arm. They’d never done this before, Spencer leading Brendon around. Brendon was fine to just go with it, because he was a little stressed and he was enjoying the attention. Spencer pressed a kiss to Brendon’s temple. “If you already know what you’re getting last minute, we can do that first. That way the food won’t be sitting in the car for however long it takes you to get your shit together.”

 

“I already got my shit together,” Ryan said proudly, as he lead them out of the Starbucks and towards the actual mall. He looked over his shoulder, and for a moment, Brendon could see him as one of the bitchy, high-strung Project Runway contestants that inevitably got kicked out two rounds before the final three. Then Ryan ducked his head and turned back around. “Jon and I went Christmas shopping a few weeks ago, since he’d be going back to Chicago and didn’t want to do it alone.”

 

“That’s precious,” Spencer said. Dallon appeared on Brendon’s other side and rubbed Brendon’s arm. “Did you get Jon anything, then?”

 

“You can’t get someone’s Christmas present while they’re with you, what the hell?” Ryan said, and if Brendon wasn’t half-under, he’d be calling bullshit on that statement. Ryan shook his head, and led them into the main part of the mall. Everything was bright and shiny, done up in red and silver ribbons. It was like the entire mall was a giant Christmas present. Dallon shook his head. “Man, I love commercialism.”

 

“Don’t be so cynical, Dal,” Spencer said. “At least it’s aesthetically pleasing this time. Besides, it’s not like we’ll be getting any snow here, so we might as well indulge in the parts of Christmas that we can get.”

 

“I have no idea what to get him,” Ryan said. “I am the worst friend ever.”

 

“Make a nude calendar,” Spencer said. Ryan turned around and glared at Spencer, then took a long sip from his coffee and glared harder. Spencer shrugged. “It was just a suggestion, Ry. You don’t have to strip for your platonic housemate friend if you don’t want to. You can just get him a scarf.”

 

“What if he gets me a scarf?”

 

“I don’t think there are any scarfs out there that you don’t already own,” Spencer said. Ryan flipped him off right as a mother and her two small children passed, and she glared at all four of them. Ryan glared back, and Dallon smiled at her and the kids. Dallon was good at making people not hate him. 

 

They followed Ryan around the mall for about an hour and a half before he finally settled on something for his friend. Brendon didn’t see what it was, but he figured it didn’t matter, so long as Ryan thought it was a good gift and Jon liked it whenever he got it in the mail. After that, they spent another half hour wandering around the mall, Spencer and Ryan criticizing almost every outfit they saw on the mannequins. This was apparently yet another weird Christmas tradition they had. It was easier for Dallon and Brendon to join, because they knew Spencer and knew what he liked. 

 

Spencer pulled out his phone. “Shit, mom said that dad needs a bunch of stuff for dinner. We’ve gotta go to the grocery store and be actual adults now.”

 

Ryan rolled his eyes and slung his bag of Jon presents (he’d bought a few more things while they’d been wandering) over his shoulder. He turned on his heel and led them back through the mall and out to the car. Ryan placed his bag in the trunk of the car with a lot more care than necessary and then got into the driver’s seat. Dallon looked over at Spencer, who nodded, and then Dallon got into the front seat beside Ryan. 

 

The grocery shopping didn’t take long at all, and the four of them pulled into the Smith’s driveway a little bit before one in the afternoon. Spencer disappeared to the kitchen with his dad to work on preparing all of the food, and everyone else was given a list of things that needed to be cleaned. It reminded Brendon of Christmases back at his house, when he was a kid and him and his three older siblings were made to clean the house every holiday. This was different, of course, because there was a lot less Jesus memorabilia, and Brendon wasn’t constantly being told to shut up and stop singing along to the Christmas music in the background. 

 

At some point, Brendon and Ryan were alone out in the Smith’s background, fixing the lawn up and setting up stuff. One of the good things about Las Vegas was that it didn’t get super cold in the winter, and so family Christmas parties didn’t have to be crowded into people’s dining rooms. Brendon didn’t know how many relatives Spencer had, but judging from the number of tables, there would be a lot. 

 

Brendon stood under the tarp, pausing from where he’d been moving a table around. He and Ryan were both on the small side, and Ryan was skinnier than Brendon. Whoever decided to assign them to setting up tables obviously didn’t know what they were doing. Brendon put his hands on his hips. “How many people are coming over,  _ Jesus _ .”

 

“It’s Ryan, not Jesus, and Spencer’s mom has, like, four siblings,” Ryan said, grabbing a tablecloth from the back steps and starting to unfold it. “They’re Catholic, originally, but Ginger and Jeff never really went to mass. Which was great, because it meant that I could drag Spencer off to shows on Saturday and not have to worry about getting him back on time.”

 

“You guys didn’t have curfews?” Brendon asked, reaching over the table to grab a corner of the tablecloth from Ryan. 

 

Ryan shook his head. “Nope. Well, Spencer did, and so I kind of did, but we never actually followed them. It wasn’t like we would actually get in trouble. Spencer’s parents are kind of awesome, when they’re not being absolutely embarrassing.”

 

“You’re like their secret child or something,” Brendon said without thinking, taking the far end and dragging it to his side of the table. Ryan raised an eyebrow, and Brendon stuttered out an apology. “Sorry, I didn’t mean… I just. You treat Spencer’s parents like they’re yours, and that’s cool.”

 

“Brendon, you’re trying way too hard,” Ryan said, and Brendon was a little offended that Ryan thought that. Brendon wasn’t trying hard, he was just nervous. Most people thought he was weird, and while he did want Spencer’s family (which apparently included Ryan Ross) to like him, he wasn’t going to go out of his way to try and impress them. Usually when Brendon tried to show off to get people’s attention they just thought he was even more quirky than usual and didn’t hang out with him except to use his talents. 

 

There was a reason the majority of Brendon’s friends were his co-workers at Starbucks. They had no choice but to deal with Brendon, and they got used to a toned down version of Brendon before they ever had the chance to interact with him in a normal setting. 

 

Ryan perched himself on the edge of the table after looking back and making sure that no one would see him sitting on the freshly laid tablecloth. “So, like, how does it work, with the three of you? Is Spencer your Dom, and Dallon’s, or do they both own you? Are you guys even into the ownership thing?”

 

“We haven’t talked about master/slave stuff, actually,” Brendon said. He was into that, sure, but he didn’t know if Dallon or Spencer were, and he didn’t want to make them uncomfortable just because Brendon had odd kinks. He rubbed his arm, the fabric of his sweater (it was actually Spencer’s, but it was really warm and Brendon had practically stolen it at this point) scratching against his skin. “But, um, the short version is that Spencer’s a Dom, Dallon’s a switch, and I’m a sub. Like, constantly. And we’re not just about sex, we go on dates and see movies together and shit like that too. It’s just three people instead of two.”

 

“No, I get how the whole polyamory thing works,” Ryan said, waving his hand at Brendon. Brendon had the feeling that Ryan did things on purpose to try and make people pissed off at him. The part of Brendon that had taken two psych classes in college before deciding that psychology wasn’t for him was ready to overthink that. Ryan pulled at a stray thread on one of his fingerless gloves. “I dated some people who were poly my freshman year, it was interesting. I’m just… embarrassingly vanilla when it comes to sex. Spencer made me go to some of the play parties with him, when he was first getting into it. It was cool to, like, watch, but I wasn’t into it. I don’t respond well to being told what to do, and I don’t like pain.”

 

“I like pain,” Brendon said. “Like a lot. One of my co-workers thought I was in an abusive relationship because I kept coming into work with bruises. I had to sit her down when we were both off the clock and explain the whole thing to her. We’re now friends.”

 

“That’s one way to do it, I guess,” Ryan said. He let out a sigh and got off of the table. His legs were long enough that he didn’t have to jump down, and Brendon was a little jealous because Ryan wasn’t much taller than Brendon, but Ryan seemed to be about three hundred percent leg. Ryan grabbed the other tablecloth and tossed it to Brendon. “Jon and I met because I was having sex with the girl he was using as a model and he was dating the girl I was using in a show, and then when Jon and his girlfriend broke up I was her rebound and Jon’s shoulder to lament on. And then we decided to get an apartment together and became friends.”

 

“No offense, but that sounds really gay,” Brendon said. 

 

Ryan rolled his eyes and stuck his hand out. Brendon handed him a corner of the tablecloth. Ryan stared down at the fabric in his hand with confusion on his face for a moment, like he hadn’t expected Brendon to actually hand him the tablecloth. He blinked a few times and then went back to helping Brendon unfold it. “I guess it does, but we’re not. I swear. Jon’s a great guy and all, but he’s straight, and I’ve never done anything serious with a guy, and I wouldn’t want to ruin our friendship by trying anything. It’s the same reason Spencer and I never gayed at each other in high school. It would be weird, and it wasn’t worth it.”

 

“I mean, you never know,” Brendon said. “I almost didn’t date Spencer and Dallon because I thought that they were both trying to have an affair with me.”

 

“That’s hilarious, Spencer would never cheat,” Ryan said, laughing a little. Again, Brendon couldn’t tell if he was supposed to be irritated by Ryan or not. He chose not to be. Ryan probably wasn’t laughing at him. “Spencer’s, like, the most clear-thinking guy ever. He doesn’t do anything impulsively, or without seriously considering how it would affect everyone else involved. Honestly, I’d probably be in a lot more shit if Spencer didn’t exist.”

 

“He’s like your conscious, but separated,” Brendon guessed. Ryan shrugged. “Sure, if that’s the kind of metaphor you’re into.”

 

Brendon frowned, and considered snapping back at Ryan because,  _ rude _ , but Dallon chose that moment to appear behind Brendon, biting the back of his neck and covering it with a kiss. Brendon leaned into the sensation a little, but Dallon drew back. It was probably for the best, since Ryan was right there and had reverted back to looking awkward and like he’d rather be where people weren’t. Dallon dropped his hand to Brendon’s hip, and said, “Ginger said that everyone’ll be here in about an hour, so we need to get dressed up.”

 

“I am dressed up,” Ryan said. 

 

“She told me to tell you specifically that you’re allowed one scarf, and that she can veto if she wants,” Dallon said. He squeezed Brendon’s hip. “You and I should get changed, too, once you're done out here.”

 

Brendon and Ryan were done with setting up the tables, and so Brendon followed Dallon back to the room. Dallon pulled out clothes for himself and for Brendon, and Brendon stripped himself down once he's made sure that the door was locked. He didn't want Spencer's family to walk in on him while he was naked. That would be awkward for everyone involved. Dallon turned around, looking Brendon's body up and down. Brendon winked. “Enjoying the view, Dal?”

 

“You're ridiculous,” Dallon said, even as he was crossing over and tilting Brendon's head back to kiss him aggressively. Brendon leaned into Dallon's touch, letting Dallon's hands wander across his back and hold onto his hips. Dallon backed them up until the back of Brendon's knees hit the bed and he fell back. Dallon leaned over him, one hand on either side of Brendon. He pulled away and kissed Brendon's nose. “Put on clothes, babe. Now’s not the time.”

 

“Cock-block,” Brendon said, grinning. Dallon smirked and winked at him, and Brendon swooned a little. Dallon was ridiculous, but also really attractive and endearing. They both were, and Brendon still couldn't believe that he got to date both of them. 

 

Dallon kissed Brendon again. “You'll get all the cock you can handle later, when we're not about to have Christmas dinner with our boyfriend's family.”

 

Brendon sighed, but grabbed his clothes off the bend and put them on anyway. They were nice without being stuffy, although Brendon would have preferred a pair of jeans to the slacks that Dallon had picked out for him. Brendon turned around and faced Dallon. “You ready to meet the extended family and have them ask way too many questions?”

 

“I've already met the extended family,” Dallon said. “Don't worry too much, Spencer only has a few asshole relatives. They might not even show up this time, since they know that Spencer and I are still dating.”

 

“Well that's good. I really didn't want to play nice around a bunch of homophobic aunts and uncles for the rest of the holiday,” Brendon said. He'd dealt with that quite a few times, growing up in a Mormon household while still being in the closet. 

 

Spencer’s extended family--on his mom’s side--wasn’t as big as Brendon had expected. There were eight cousins, two sets of aunts and uncles, one step-aunt, Ginger’s parents, and two tiny children, who belonged to one of Spencer’s cousins. Brendon got a lot of questions, and Dallon got a few as well, but they mostly trailed around behind Spencer. Spencer was different around his family, but not in a “I’m hiding a large part of who I am” way. He just got all hostess-y. It was kind of adorable.

 

After dinner, everyone hung around for a bit, exchanging gifts and talking about embarrassing childhood stories. There were even a few where Ryan was involved, and not all of them involved Spencer as well. Dallon seemed to get along with everyone, but Brendon figured it had to do with them already knowing Dallon from previous family holidays, and not because they liked Dallon better than Brendon. Spencer’s family seemed to think that Brendon was an acceptable boyfriend. 

 

There was a late night service at Spencer’s parents’ church, and apparently it was family tradition to go and light candles and sing all the Christmas hymns that Brendon remembered from his own childhood. Brendon pulled Spencer aside, asking if it would be weird for him to go, since he wasn’t religious anymore. Spencer shrugged. “I mean, I don’t think it matters if you believe in God or not. Ryan doesn’t, but he still goes. It’s a family thing more than a church thing, but I understand if you don’t want to be there.”

 

“No, I’ll go,” Brendon decided, because he did want to be a part of Spencer’s family. He wanted to be in Spencer’s life, and it was never the church (building) that made him uncomfortable. It was the people inside of it, and if the rest of the people there were like Spencer’s mom’s family, then Brendon figured he’d be fine. He took Spencer’s hand in his, and the two of them joined Dallon, Ryan, and the twins in the minivan. Spencer called shotgun, which left the middle seats for Dallon and Brendon, and the twins were in the back. 

 

“I can’t believe you’re letting me drive,” Ryan said. Spencer flicked his arm. “Merry Christmas, you fuck. Enjoy your driving privilege.”

 

“Thanks, Spencer, I will,” Ryan said, and revved the engine. From the back, Jackie and Crystal cheered him on. Dallon grinned. “Come on Ryan, stop peacocking around. I’m sure you drive like my grandmother.”

  
“Don’t encourage him,” Spencer said, a small smile on his face like he too was considering goading Ryan on. Ryan flipped Spencer off, and then they were pulling out onto the street, headlights on, and heading towards the church. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, and please leave a comment and/or kudos if you enjoyed it! Also, feel free to visit me on my tumblr (spookyglitterspencer), I opened up fic requests for a bit!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, and please leave comments/kudos if you enjoyed!!


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